


Above Water

by ForeverBlackRose



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Bilbo Baggins Has the Patience of a Saint, Curvy Reader, During The Hobbit, Dwarf Courting, F/F, F/M, Family, Fluff and Humor, Fíli and Kíli Are Little Shits, Gandalf is a Troll, Mermaid Reader, Multiple Relationships, Reader-Insert, Thorin Oakenshield & Company & You, plus size reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:42:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29147652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverBlackRose/pseuds/ForeverBlackRose
Summary: When Gandalf shows up at your home asking you to join him on a quest, you are unsure what to expect but excited to see the rest of the world. Your companions are rather intriguing as well.
Relationships: Fíli (Tolkien)/Reader, Kíli (Tolkien)/Reader, Thorin Oakenshield/Reader, Thranduil (Tolkien)/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This work has been cross posted to Wattpad under the username Quirky_Curls.

Late in the evening, the bar is filled with the loud laughter and drunken curses of its patrons. Pirates, barmaids, and various others all enjoy the bustle of the lively scene as the darkness begins to sink in. This is the time of day The Shoreside truly comes alive. It's always been my favorite, even as a child.

My father has run this business far longer than I have been alive. He is the real reason the patrons of the bar return again and again. It is a welcoming place, a safe place, for all that wish to come. It is one of the few places where it does not matter what species you are, for once you step foot past the door, you are only considered a friend.

I grew up listening to tales from world-weary ship captains and adventurers from far off places. My father often threw in his own stories as well, from the days when he was second hand to the captain on his ship. He regaled us with sword fights, beautiful people, and the treasures they found. He swears that above all, his best treasure was me. I tell him he is foolish, but it never fails to make me smile.

Tonight, he is once again telling the story of how he met my mother on the shore 20 years ago, and how their whirlwind romance resulted in me. I half listen as I wipe a nearby table off. I already know how it goes and I already know he'll leave out the part where as soon as she dumps me off on him, she leaves. Mermaids are not the type to feel tied to one mate apparently.

"(Y/n), darlin', bring me another ale, eh?" Old Tom yells from his spot in the corner. 

I teasingly remind him that he should say please, but I set the drink in front of him anyways. My father yells to ask if I would clean off a newly free table, so I wander over and wish the customers a nice night. While I retrieve dishes, the door suddenly blows open dramatically. Every eye in the room is instantly trained on the door frame, waiting to see who would walk through.

A second later, in a flurry of grey robes and wind for added affect, Gandalf struts in with a grin on his face. He is a familiar face here, and every time he comes, I am certain he tries to outdo his last entrance. I'm certain it's some weird competition between him and father, or it could just honestly be him. 

"Gandalf!" My father greets his friend excitedly, and immediately offers him a drink. Gandalf accepts and they begin catching up. I finish what I'm doing before making my way over to them.

Gandalf's smile gets bigger when he sees me. He pulls me into a hug, patting my back gently, "Ah! (Y/n) dear! Just who I wanted to see!"

I hug him back, but find myself confused as to why Gandalf came for me. "Really? Is everything okay?" I ask when he releases me.

He nods, "Indeed. I have come to ask you to join a quest."

"I'm sorry, a quest?" I repeat, tilting my head. Gandalf is a wizard and very well known for traveling to different places to help where he can. I'm not surprised that he is on a quest again, but I cannot see how that would involve me. 

With that Gandalf launches into his explanation of the dwarves looking to reclaim their mountain home. Thorin, the dwarf king, would be leading his Company across the land to the mountain to face the dragon, Smaug. "I believe your particular talents could be quite useful on this quest. If you would join," Gandalf finishes.

"That sounds interesting," I begin softly. "But there's no way I could leave father here alone. Who else would help him with the bar?"

"Nonsense," My father interrupts. His voice is stern, his eyes determined in a way I have not seen in years. He takes my hand and squeezes it, "Few people get opportunities for adventure such as this. This could be your chance to see the world, my girl. I may be old, but I ran this bar before you were old enough and I will do fine now. You are young, with a long exciting life ahead of you. You deserve to live it to the fullest."

With that, my things were packed and we were off to Bag End.


	2. Feast of Bag End

Sometime after leaving the Seashore, Gandalf informed me that he needed to meet someone else. We parted ways with the promise of meeting each other at Bag End. From that point on I spent my time studying the lands as I passed them.

The farthest from home that I have been was the market that was about an hour's ride. Most of what I knew from the world outside of that came from stories and maps. Part of that was simply because we did not have the time to leave the bar, but the biggest reasoning father gave was that he knew how dangerous Middle Earth was. He had experienced the many horrors the land had to offer and wanted to protect me from them as long as possible.

Given the tales I had heard, I was slightly wary of traveling alone. However, I did as Gandalf said and stayed on the trails with my father's sword in easy access.

Late in the evening on my second day, I found myself finally wandering into Bag End. It was a charming little place, far different from my home by the sea. I was mainly amazed, however, at how small the homes were, as well as the abundant plant life that grew all over the area. Hobbits truly were astounding creatures.

I took my time upon the path, checking each door as I passed for the symbol Gandalf had informed me would lead me to the right place. Near the end of the road, I finally saw what I was searching for. It was a gorgeous home, and I stopped to allow myself to smell the flowers as I walked up to it. We had never been able to grow many flowers because of all the sand, but I have always loved them. The Hobbit who lived here must take great care of them.

After pulling myself away from the plants, I knocked on the door and waited patiently. A few moments later it was pulled open by a disgruntled looking hobbit with a head full of sandy brown curls. He looked as if he had been about to say something, but upon seeing me his mouth closed and his expression changed to confusion. "Um, good evening," He greeted politely. "Bilbo Baggins, at your service. Can I help you?"

"Oh yes," I responded with a smile. "My name is (Y/n) (L/n). I was invited by Gandalf. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

The hobbit seemed to be fighting an internal battle with himself judging by the various reactions that flashed across his face. Finally, he seemed to settle on acceptance, and he pulled the door open the rest of the way. "Come in."

I thanked him before ducking down to step inside. Instantly, I was in awe of the craftmanship of the home. The round, wooden arches and antique looking furniture gave it such a homey feeling. It smelled of freshly baked bread and something else that I couldn't place but made me feel even more hungry than I already was. "Your house is lovely," I told him as I admired the rooms. 

The hobbit blushed lightly and scratched his neck in embarrassment, "Thank you, it's been in the family for a very long time." 

"Well, now who is this?" Came a voice from the kitchen. 

"Definitely not a dwarf, at the least. Too tall."

Two young looking dwarves appeared before me, grinning widely. They bowed in unison. "I'm Fili."

"And I'm Kili."

"(Y/n). Nice to meet you." I replied. Fili had long golden hair and a mustache done up, interestingly enough, in braids. Kili was a bit taller and had dark hair, with a fair bit of stubble. They both had the same mischievous smirk and a similar air about them that made it obvious that they brothers. Everything about these two screamed trouble. They were definitely the kind that liked to be up to no good.

I decided I liked them.

Another knock on the door sent Bilbo into a rant as he angrily went to answer it. A pile of dwarves tumbled into the room followed by Gandalf. Each dwarf quickly rambled off their name before meandering into the kitchen to prepare for dinner. Bilbo launched into his disdain for the events, but anyone could tell Gandalf was only half listening. The wizard's eyes scanned the room until they landed on me, standing awkwardly in the hallway. 

"Ah! (Y/n), dear!" He greeted me with a pat on the back before pulling me into the dining room with him. The dwarves were busy putting together a feast, and easily worked around us while Gandalf set a place for the two of us. "I believe some help may be required in the kitchen if you would, my dear."

I simply nodded and headed into the other room, passing Bilbo who looked like he was having a hard time holding his tongue and the two young dwarves who smiled at me as the walked by with a barrel of ale. In the kitchen, an older dwarf with a balding head was placing items into bowls and trays. I greeted him and asked if there was anything I could do to help. He introduced himself as Dwalin and handed me a bowl of string beans and potatoes to be taken into the dining room. 

By this point, the majority of the dwarves had taken a seat. After I placed the dishes on the table, Gandalf pulled me into my seat and everyone began serving themselves. I took a bit of everything and was relieved to finally eat. Everything was just as good as it had looked. Dwarves were fantastic cooks.

"Bread, lassie?" The dwarf beside me with a large mustache and hat asked. He held out a bowl of bread rolls that looked very soft and I gratefully accepted. I have never been known to turn down good bread and I definitely will not start now. "Bofur is the name. And who do I have the pleasure of speaking too?"

"(Y/n)," I responded with a smile.

At that moment Fili was walking across the table with pints of ale. I pulled my plate closer to myself as we walked by, and he stopped to hold a pint out to me. "And for the lass?"

"Oh, no thank you," I declined politely. "I prefer my adventures to start without a raging headache."

Laughs echoed across the table and Bofur raised his cup to me. "Beautiful and smart she is!" He declared with a wink. 

I shook my head, laughing as Kili and some of the others began a burping contest and were just generally goofing off. It was a strange, chaotic bunch but they seemed nice enough. They talked and laugh, and a few included me in their discussions. Gandalf was throughly enjoying drinking wine from the bottle after discovering Hobbit glasses were not big enough to sate him. He claimed he did miss my father's personal brand though, and insisted the others must try it sometime.

"A woman that can make alcohol!" Kili exclaimed across the table. He held his hand to his heart dramatically, causing the others to burst into another fit of laughter. "Truly after my own heart!"

"As if she would ever marry you, brother," Fili joked, slapping his brother on the back. "Not when there are so many other fine lads here."

"Aye, not a one of you could compete with me," Dwalin piped in, proudly. This earned him a fair amount of teasing insults from his friends.

I didn't really no how to respond aside from laughing it off and continuing with my meal. Gandalf seemed extremely amused by it all and he winked at me. I feel he could've warned me before they were all a bunch of flirts but I suppose he thought it would be more fun to let me find out myself. 

Seems like a very Gandalf thing to do.

Eventually everyone finished their dinner and I followed Gandalf and Bilbo into the kitchen. Bilbo was trying to find out why they were in his home, which was news to me because I thought he had at least known we were coming despite how off put he had been by their behavior. Not that I blame him for that. They were a very rambunctious lot.

While we were talking, a nice dwarf named Ori asked where he should put his plate. Fili took it upon himself to toss each plate to his brother who caught them and tossed them off to someone else. Bilbo and I were the only ones truly disturbed by this, though I didn't voice it. Perhaps it was the barmaid in me, but I cringed each time a plate was thrown, remembering all the times I had to clean up the pieces of a drunken sailor's plate.

That being said, they were having a grand time showing off and began singing a song poking fun at poor Bilbo. And as nervous as they made me they had yet to actually break anything, so I decided to make myself productive as well and began cleaning the table off, working around Bombur who was still enjoying his meal. I shot him a smile and dodged around Gloin and Nori while they worked. Eventually everything was in order again and I was actually very impressed by the result of their efforts.

"I wish we had had you all at the bar," I joked.

This earned a pleased smile from Nori, "Why yes, miss. We dwarves are quite good at cleaning up after ourselves."

And out of no where a hard knock at the door made everyone go quiet.

Gandalf was the first of us to move to the door. Once he opened it, a broad shouldered dwarf stepped in. He had long dark hair, streaked handsomely with grey. He seemed gruff, and slightly intimidating, and judging by how quiet the others had gone, fairly important. As he entered, the others bowed to him.

"I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I got lost, twice, trying to find it," He told Gandalf as he hung up his fur cloak. "Wouldn't have found it at all if it weren't for the mark on the door."

Bilbo's face went red beside me as he heard that last remark, "Mark? What mark? It was painted a week ago!"

This poor hobbit just couldn't catch a break, it seemed. Gandalf sheepishly admitted it was him that had marked the man's door, but quickly moved on to introducing Bilbo to Thorin in order to change the subject. The mysterious dwarf launched into questioning Bilbo about his fighting skills. It came off as rather rude to me, especially when he completely dismissed Bilbo. 

As Thorin began walking to the dining room, his eyes fell on me. He stopped for a moment, looking me over with confusion apparent on his face, "Who are you?"

Gandalf fluttered over and put a hand on my shoulder, pushing me forward, "This is our 16th member. May I introduce (Y/n) (L/n), of the Western Shore. Her father is a great friend of mine, we journeyed together in his youth."

"And what use is she to us?"

I chose to ignore how insufferable this man was being, and instead calmly replied, "I am half-mermaid. Gandalf seems to believe my abilities will be useful to you all along the quest."

"Mermaid?" He questioned, looking slightly shocked. "Mermaids are not known to leave the sea for long."

I nodded, he wasn't wrong. Mermaids really only surface to mate or occasionally visit human places. They rarely, if ever, take journeys past the villages on the sea. They see it as frivolous, and tend not to get involved with those that live on land. "That is true. Most do not. But I am only half, and I am not tied to the same traditions as the rest of my kind. I have lived on land since I was born."

He studied me intensely for a while, before nodding and seeming to accept my position. He adjoined at the table with the others, who asked him about the meeting he had attended. I gather he had been asking from support from other dwarves. It seemed it had been both a success and a failure somehow. And somewhere among that discussion came the topic of our quest. Although Gandalf had explained the basics to me, I was very interested to hear about it from the leader of this quest himself.

Or maybe I just wanted to hear him speak a little longer. But I would never say that to the proud king himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m trying to incorporate all the dwarves into the story where I can, because I love the family dynamic. But I think I am slightly biased in giving more time to my favorites. I feel like it’s pretty obvious who they are, lol.


End file.
